1. Field of this Invention
This invention relates to a process for treating animal and poultry waste and bedding to eliminate the production of unhealthy gases and prevent an unhealthy environment.
2. Prior Art
Swine, cattle, poultry and the like are often grown in confinement (pens). The animal waste, i.e., feces (droppings) and urine, creates a number of health and environmental problems. The confinement pens usually have a slatted floor, wire floor or other type of floor with holes therein (for the animal waste to pass through).
Under intensive growing conditions, animals (or poultry) are crowded together and forced to live in a microenvironment dominated by a high concentration of their own fecal and urinary wastes. This causes an increase in ammonia (NH.sub.3) and various gases produced by microbial fermentation, such as, methane (CH.sub.4), carbon doixide (CO.sub.2), etc., in their microenvironment. The effect is not only a relative reduction in oxygen (O.sub.2) concentration in the air breathed by the animals but also the negative effects of these irritants on the metabolism of the animals. One effect that would serve as an example is the displacement of oxygen in the hemoglobin by ammonia thereby inducing partial asphyxiation.
The bedding (or litter) material contains manure or litter, and other animal or poultry waste material, after usage by animals or poultry. Various gases, such as ammonia, methane and/or putrification gases, e.g., as from cadavarine or putrecine, are given off. The result is an unhealthy situation that reduces animal performance and is an unhealthy environment for humans to be about. Pathogens are usually present.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,094 discloses a process for producing an animal feed or a fertilizer ingredient from animal manure which comprises acid solution and either wet or dry manure. The essentially basic minerals contained in the manure chemically react with the acid to form soluble salts. The acid and essentially basic minerals are used in a amount so that there is an equal molar reaction basis and so that sterilization of the manure is achieved. A slurry containing various solid fractions and an acid-water fraction is formed. The various fractions, each separated from each other, are recovered from the slurry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,859 discloses a process for the conversion of cellulose and lignin organic waste materials into a more digestable and manageable form. The process includes reducing, if necessary, the cellulose or lignin organic waste material to a size to 2 inches or less. An acid selected from the group consisting of phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid and mixtures thereof is admixed with about 40 to about 60 percent by weight of the organic waste material. Before, after or simultaneously with such admixing steps, a base selected from the group consisting of calcium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide and mixtures thereof is admixed with the remainder of the organic waste material. The acidified waste material is mixed and reacted with the basified organic waste material, a more digestible form of said organic waste material resulting. About 80 to 120 parts by weight of the acidified organic waste material is used per 100 parts by weight of the basified organic waste material. Water is converted to steam by heat of such reaction provided the reaction mixture contains about 20 to 60 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the reaction mixture, of water. The reaction mixture is formed into pellets, cubes, blocks or other similar forms.